Female Therapists in Wayland, MA

For nearly four decades, I have had the privilege of working with and learning from hundreds of individuals, couples and families as they have wrestled with the challenges of their lives. Every person's story and circumstances are unique but if someone is helped by the work we do together, it is generally because we form a relationship of trust and connection. My decades of work with top tier professionals at Harvard Business School, has given me a deep appreciation of the interplay between professional and personal lives. My own commitment to lifelong learning enables me to bring state of the art care to my clients.

Life can feel overwhelming, whether our distress stems from not getting what we want, or getting exactly what we wanted and yet somehow still feeling unfulfilled. Anxiety, depression, or battling addiction can lead to feelings of frustration and hopelessness. The process of talking in a therapeutic setting is essential in cultivating self-awareness and obtaining the wisdom to make healthier choices. Each person is unique, and I am committed to finding what works best for every person who seeks my support.

I am driven by directness and efficiency, and draw upon my humor, warmth, and ability to motivate. My approach is unencumbered by therapeutic conventions of insurance approval, clinical setting, and therapy tropes. I offer a novel approach to therapy for OCD, phobias, ADHD, anxiety, autism functioning concerns, and weight management. We will meet in a location of your choice (home, office, etc) or remotely. I do not accept insurance, and only you will determine the visit frequency. Please inquire if you wish to utilize my expertise as a Certified Personal Trainer, and/or Registered Yoga Teacher (200-hr) to augment therapy.

I consider it an honor to guide people on their journey through this life, to help them release old patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that interfere with their sense of well-being and wholeness, resolve the effects of lingering pain and/or past trauma, explore what is important and meaningful in their lives, and find new purpose and depth in themselves and in their relationship to the world around them. If you find yourself lost, in your relationships and/or your life, in a world that makes little sense, we can find a path and way of being that feels right for you in the most fulfilling way.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor working with individuals, couples, and families to help them identify and reach their desired goals. I mainly practice with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

Alexandra Vlahakes, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Massachusetts. Her specialties include helping adolescents and adults struggling with depression and anxiety, PTSD and trauma-related disorders, bipolar disorder, and people struggling with emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal issues. Dr. Vlahakes takes a particular interest in working with persons struggling with borderline personality, as well as consulting for dissociative disorders. Dr. Vlahakes also provides supervision for license-eligible practitioners as the Director of Clinical Training for Brighter Life Therapy, PLLC.

We all face challenges, whether it’s with relationships, loss and grief, illness, parenting issues, work-life balance, or the realization that we may not be reaching our full potential at work, school, or home. We often develop problem-solving strategies but may encounter roadblocks in our quest to overcome our challenges. Seeking guidance from a therapist to examine & refine our approach could be a step toward living a happier, more productive & meaningful life, one that is consistent with our values. I recognize that asking for help and being open to change requires strength & courage, and choosing the right therapist is crucial.

My goal is to support and guide you into living your best life. I believe in the inherent ability of all of us to change and grow if we are motivated, educated, and supported. I will help you find and develop your strengths and investigate new strategies for healing and growth. At some point we all experience life's stressors; I have particular experience helping people move through depression, life changes, grief, loss, workplace issues, anxiety and fertility challenges. I also enjoy working with people in recovery from alcohol misuse. I also do well helping people in their mid-late twenties navigate their challenges.

These are stressful, uncertain times and many of us are coping with extraordinary circumstances while juggling multiple demands and roles. It can be easy to get overwhelmed. I can provide a space (virtually) that is completely yours to talk about what this experience has been like for you. I am a licensed clinical psychologist. I have a background in mindfulness training, We can work together to alleviate your anxiety and create focus so that you can gain perspective and handle these challenging circumstances to the best of your ability.

I welcome children, teen-agers and their parents, adults, couples and families to my practice. In individual, couple or play therapy, I focus on relationships: to other people, to our pasts, to our bodies, and to our thoughts and feelings. My goal is to establish a safe setting where together we can identify and work on challenging issues in your life with curiosity, understanding and compassion, while helping you to appreciate and make use of the unique resources and strengths that you bring to our work.

I am dedicated to helping and encouraging my clients to identify issues/obstacles and work towards applying this knowledge to find solutions and relief. Whether it be anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, sleep problems, stress or just feeling overwhelmed with life, I will listen to and collaborate with you to determine an effective therapeutic path.

Having many years of experience as a clinician, I believe the key to a positive therapy relationship is comfort and trust. My goal is to offer a caring and direct relationship that helps you make your life more meaningful/ less conflicted by building on your strengths and capacities. I use a combination of cognitive and relational thinking to help encourage curiosity into one's choices and to foster change. My clinical specialty areas are grief/bereavement and marital/couples/relationship work, with individuals as well as with couples/families. Importantly, I find the therapeutic connection is tender and, hopefully, life-changing.

I have extensive experience and skills with adults dealing with many different challenges and life circumstances. My approach is active, collaborative, and sensitive to each individual's needs and goals, provided within a caring and supportive environment. In a goal focused and collaborative way I help my clients understand and modify ineffective habitual relationships and behavioral patterns. I seek to help clients better understand themselves in the context of their histories.

In the past, I have enjoyed working with individuals with a history of traumatic experiences, substance use, interpersonal difficulties, and psychosis. I enjoy working on goals with clients that involve cognitive restructuring and skills building. Additionally, I enjoy short-term solution-focused goals.

Are thoughts about your life's stressors getting in the way of your goals? Are you struggling to get through the day without thinking about food or your body? If you are reading this, you may be contemplating taking that first step to receive support. Setting up an initial therapy appointment can be scary; I hope to ease the stress of the process, while working with you to achieve your therapeutic goals.

Perhaps you feel discouraged and are seeking therapy because you have tried to make changes but haven’t noticed a difference. Maybe you continue to be impacted by overwhelming events from the past. You could be reaching out because you’re experiencing anxiety, sadness, disconnection from others, or difficulty with navigating life transitions and managing stress. Maybe you’ve noticed your child is having a hard time and are reaching out on their behalf. You may want to build up your self esteem and have more fulfilling relationships, or to feel more connected to yourself, to grow, and to enjoy life.

Congratulations on taking a step toward creating change in your life. I am a licensed clinical mental health counselor. I have extensive experience and offer support for people struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, difficult life transitions, family conflict, trauma, and addictions/substance abuse.

No one is born a parent. Parenting, and especially co-parenting, can be even more challenging when partners disagree, or when larger issues about the marriage or a divorce arise. I help parents understand how to be the best mothers and fathers they can be for their children, and how to work together to support them even under difficult circumstances. I also work directly with couples and families experiencing conflict (together or as individuals), and can provide divorce and family mediation when needed.

I specialize in working with women and older adolescent girls in individual therapy, who are experiencing or interested in working on any of the following: Life Transitions, Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Loss, Parenting, Relationship Issues, Emotional Fulfillment and Finding Spirituality on The Journey To Emotional Healing. I am an active psychodynamic clinician, who utilizes object relations theory, family systems theory and cognitive behavioral techniques. Above all, I value the therapist client relationship. Just as a grain of sand emerges as a pearl, I view life as a transformative experience. The pain of what we are faced with provides opportunity for growth.